Augusta in Richmond County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Floods

By Cosmos Mariner, May 11, 2017

1. Floods Marker

Inscription.
The Savannah River and its tributaries drain more than 10,000 square miles of an area that receives some of the heaviest rainfall on the continent.

Augusta's location on a low bluff at the Fall Line of the river has made the city particularly susceptible to seasonal flooding throughout its history.

As one example, a flood recorded in January 1796 destroyed several tobacco warehouses and the public wharf. A freshet of more devastating consequence occurred in 1840, when torrents of rising water and floating debris washed away the two bridges over the river.

In 1888 raging waters five to ten feet deep pushed houses off their foundations. Boats were poled through the streets like "gondolas on Venice canals.”

Again, in 1908 waters swelled to the first stories of homes. As one elderly resident remembered later, "We jacked up the piano, sent the milk cow to higher ground, and retired to the second floor.”

Location. 33° 28.683′ N, 81° 57.83′ W. Marker is in Augusta, Georgia, in Richmond County. Marker can be reached from 8th Street north of Reynolds Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is located on the Augusta Riverwalk near the 8th Street crossing. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2 8th Street, Augusta GA 30901, United States of America.

Other nearby markers.

By Cosmos Mariner, May 11, 2017

2. Marker detail: Destruction of a cotton warehouse after the flood of 1888

Also see . . . 1. Modern floods aren't as savage as earlier ones. As far back as 1796 a January surge known as the Yazoo Freshet carried off a bridge, a warehouse and the public wharf. In 1908, flooding claimed 18 lives. The business district was inundated and all bridges destroyed. In 1911, after another spring flood, a Canal & River Commission was formed to build a levee. (Submitted on February 22, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. 7 Flood Pictures from Augusta, Georgia circa 1888. Four photos show dugout canoes rescuing residents from houses on the streets, two others show flooded property along a road of houses,and one shows a train engine pushing water. (Submitted on February 22, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 23, 2018. This page originally submitted on February 22, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 50 times since then. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on February 22, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.